Flooring strip finishing machine



April 29, 1952 v I. F. DITTMAR 94,

FLOORING STRIP FINISHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 25. 1949 e Sheets-Sheet l ltwentor Gttornegs April 29, 1952 DlTTMAR 2,594,746

FLOORING STRIP FINISHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 25. 1949 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 3nventor Jew/A i. i /77'M/7fi.

GttornegS I. F. DlTTMAR FLOORING STRIP FINISHING MACHINE April 29, 1952 Filed Jan. 25. 1949 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 attorneys April 29, 1952 F. DITTMAR FLOORING STRIP FINISHING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 25. 1949 3rwentor April 29, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 25. 1949 Bmaentor A ril 29, 1952 1. F. DITTMAR 2,594,746

FLOORING STRIP FINISHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 25. 1949 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Snventor QZMMWW -AT attorneys Patented Apr. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOORING s'rR'IP FINISHING MACHINE Irvin F. Dittmar, Williamsport, Pa., assignor to The Cromar Company, Williamsport, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 25, 1949, Serial No. 72,617

I 21 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved machine for finishing flooring but more particularly and specifically to a machine which opcrates to completely finish a strip of flooring as the same passes rapidly through the machine.

Finished fiooring, often and quite commonly referred to as p're-fini'shed flooring is commonly sold today and this flooring ism final and finished condition for laying and the iioor upon being laid is ready "for immediate use. As now produced several separate machines are required to finish or pie-finish the shaped wood flooring strips or boards.

The present machine constitutes a decided improvement in that the single machine accompli'shes the result heretofore necessitating the use of three machines. This results 'a reduction from six to three of the inen required in the floor finishing operations. Where three machines are used conveyors between the machines are required and the machines and conveyors have reduireda'pproidmately 1650 square feet of floor area. The single machine reduces the fioor area to 250 square feet and eliminates the conveyors. There is also a saving in power as 16% horsepower have been required to drive the three machines and their conveyors while the single machine constituting the invention requires only 3 horsepower. There will also ob vioiisly be a large saving in investment in a single machine against three machines and their conveyors and maintenance cost by utilising a amount of stock on the conveyor-s between the machines and "at reservoir points between the machines. A reduction in damage to the neon ing and a consequent reduction in Waste or rejection has been found by the use iii a single machine against three machines.

The time required to finish the flooring a single machine is reduced over that of the three machine operation and this has de cided advantages. Under certain conditions the wood'iiooring will ehange due to abserption of moisture. Consequently the quicker it can be finished and thereby protected after it is machined the less the flooring is exposed to atmospheric conditiens. The single machine coats and protects the flooring much more quickly after machining than does the three machine operation.

v Other advantages and benefits will appear from the following description and will be understood by those skilled in the art.

The primary object at the invention is the provision of a single machine fe'r moving strips of soaring. A

Ahether objee't of the invention is the pro- 2 vision of an improved finishing material applicator for use in a floor finishing machine.

A further object of the invention is a novel and improved supporting and adjusting means for a finishing material applicator for use in a floor finishing machine. I

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a novel reservoir for finishing material and a means for delivering finishing material from the reservoir to an applicator which applies the material to a moving strip of flooring.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of novel edge strip scrapers and adjustable supporting means therefor.

"Other objects, advantages and improvements of the machine will appear from the following description when read in the light of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, a portion of the view appearing in vertical section to better illustrate the construction.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the outlet side of the finishing material applicator.

Fig. 4 is a view of the applicator illustrating the adjustable support therefor and the contact of the applicator with a flooring strip, a portion of the view being in vertical section. v

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 5 ;5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detailed view in side elevation of the adjusting means illustrated in vertical section inFig. 5.

Fig. -7 is a plan view of the upperface and finishing material receiving edge of the applicator. v

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the rear side of the applicator.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the bottom edge of the applicator.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the front or discharge side of the applicator.

Fig. 11 is an end view of the upper end of the applicator.

Fig. 12 is an end view of the lower end of the applicator.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view on the line I3|3 of Fig. '7.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view on the line M l4 of Fig.1.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 15-45 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 16 is a side viewof the support which engages the rear face of the applicator.

Fig. 17 is an end view of the device appearing in Fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device for removing surplus finish from the upper edge or the moving flooring strip.

Fig. 19 is a view in side elevation of the device Fig. 22 is an end View of the scraper supporting bracket of Figs. 18 and 19.

Fig. 23 is a plan view of one of the edges of one of the supports and carrier of the scraper for the lower edge of the flooring strip.

Fig. 24 is a fragmentary end view of the scraper carrying end of the support for the scraper for the lower edge of the flooring strip.

Fig. 25 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 25-25 of Fig. 24.

Fig. 26 is a top plan view of one edge of one of the units for adjustably supporting a scraper for L the face of the flooring strip.

Fig. 27 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the structure appearing in Fig. 26.

Fig. 28 is a sectional View on the line 2828 of Fig. 26.

Fig. 29 is a sectional view on the line 2928 of Fig. 27.

Fig. 39 is a plan view of a modified form of plate for the discharge side of the finish material applicator.

The present machine is primarily for the purpose of finishing wooden strips or boards but it is to be understood that the broad inventive concept could be utilized in other than the specific manner illustrated and that both sides, rather than only one, of the strip could be finished by the mere provision of duplicate parts.

In the following description and claims the words wooden strips, flooring strips, and

flooring boards are used synonymously and have reference to an elongated piece of wood intended to be laid as a flooring board.

In general the invention comprises .a machine through which the boards travel on edge, that is, that the fronts and backs of the boards are disposed in a vertical plane. Power driven means engages the boards to progress them through the machine and as they travel a finishing material is applied to what is to be the upper face of the board when it is in use. plurality of scrapers remove from the face of the board all surplus finishing material and simultaneously act to force the material into the grain of the wood. Simultaneously scrapers engage the upper and lower edges of the board and remove therefrom all surplus finishing material which may have become deposited on these portions of the flooring strip. Finally rotary brushes clean and remove from the upper and lower edges of the flooring strip all surplus finishing material to assure that the boards will fit properly together when laid as a flooring. When the flooring strips leave the machine they are completely finished and sufficiently dry to be packaged or bundled for shipment and upon arrival at the job are in condition for immediate laying and when laid provide a flooring having on its upper face the proper finish so that the floor is ready for immediate use.

With the general understanding of the machine from the foregoing description the specific construction embodied in the machine will now be described in detail.

The bed or base A of the machine is generally rectangular in configuration and is disposed in Thereafter a 4 a horizontal plane and supported at its corners by suitable legs I. A reservoir B, later to be described, has an upper out-turned marginal edge 2 serving to support the reservoir beneath the machine bed.

Flooring strip feed The specific nature of the flooring strip feed of the machine forms no part of the present invention and in general is substantially like that illustrated in the I. F. Dittmar United States Patent 1,880,887, dated October 4, 1932.

This feed comprises oppositely arranged pairs of rollers 3, 4, 5 and 5 suitably driven by a power plant designated as an entirety, see Fig. 2, by C. The flooring strips '1 are fed on edge between the rollers which engage the opposite sides, that is, the front and back, of the strips and progress them toward and over the bed of the machine. The strips in their passage through the machine are guided by upper and lower guides 8 and 9 respectively, see Fig. 4, the upper and lower edges of which are shaped to have the same contour as the upper and lower edges of the flooring strips. In this instance the flooring strips are illustrated as having at one edge an outwardly extending V-shaped configuration and at their other edge .an inwardly extending v-shaped configuration. Strips of this nature have interlocking connection with one another when laid but it is to be recognized and understood that the nature of the edges of the strips is of no great importance as the guides can be made to accommodate flooring strips of varying construction. The guides 8 and 9 extend throughout the length of the machine and are suitably supported at their extremities.

The flooring strips travel at a very substantial speed through the machine and are finished thereby so that all hand labor is eliminated. It is only necessary for an attendant to see that the machine operates properly and that strips are delivered on edge to the feed mechanism. The discharged strips can be carried away from the machine either manually or by a power driven conveyor in accordance with which practice. will The purpose of the machine is to apply to the top of the flooring strip a suitable finish. A suitable finish is a finish which will give to the strip the proper and necessary appearance and protection and a finish which is suitable and adequate so that the strip is ready to be laid as pre-finished flooring when it reaches the job.

The finish applicator is adjacent the feed end of the machine and its construction, its manner of support and the manner of feeding finishing material to the applicator are all of great importance and of the essence of the invention.

The applicator is designated asan entirety by D and by reference to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the reservoir 13 extends from a point well in front of the applicator to a point substantially at the end of the bed of the machine. This reservoir has an open top and extends substantially throughout the width of the machine. The purpose of this arrangement is to assure that finishing material scraped from the moving strip after it leaves the'applicatorwill fall into the reservoir. A great savings in finishing material is accomplished by this arrangement.

The finishing material In which is composed of wax and other ingredients is maintained in liquid form in the reservoir. The reservoir is suitably insulated as at I I and is heated by steam or water which is circulated in the passageway l2 under the bottom of the reservoir. The heating medi um is delivered by a pipe I 3 from a suitable source and recirculated by a pump I4 or the like. The pipe I3 has communication with one end of the passageway while the pump is in communication with the opposite end of the passageway.

This arrangement maintains the finishing material in liquid form in the reservoir and reliquefies the finishing material which is scraped from the flooring strip which scrapings have had tendency to solidify.

A circulating pump I5 is disposed directly in the liquid finishing material in the reservoir and has an intake end It disposed within a protective screen I I and an outlet conduit I8 having an overflow I9 controllable by a valve 20. In front of the overflow a conduit 2| extends upwardly and has on its upper end an elbow 22 carryin a short horizontal conduit length 23 terminating in an elbow 24 having a down-turned outlet end 25, see Fig. 5, from which the finishing material flows or runs to the applicator D in a manner hereinafter to be described. The conduit 2I is provided with a control valve 26.

The pipes making up the conduit are arranged in a specific manner and supported in a specific manner hereinafter to be described and for a specific purpose hereinafter to be described.

The pump is driven by a vertically disposed shaft 21 provided at its upper end with a pulley 2B. This shaft is driven by a belt 29 which extends between the pulley 2 8 and a pulley 30 which is rotatable with the power driven feed roller 4.

In the disharge side of the line from the pump I5 there is an automatic relief valve 3I and of course the valve 28 constitutes a manually operable relief valve.

The finishing material is not composed only of molten or liquid wax. It embodies other ingredients such as solvents, oils and gums. The finishing material not only gives to the strips the proper surface finish but also embodies a filler.

The finish applicator D which is specifically illustrated in Figs. '7' to 14 inclusive comprises a rectangular block 32. The rear face of the block is provided with a horizontall extending groove or channelway 33 which is crossed intermediate its length by a vertically extending groove or channelway 3 3 These channelways form a fulcrum in combination with the supporting means for the applicator in a manner hereinafter to be described The upper edge or top of the block is provided with a longitudinally extending V-shaped groove 35 provided in spaced parallel relationship throughout a large portion of its length with parallel and transversely extending teeth 36 which provide between them passageways 31 having open tops communicating with the V-shaped groove and open outer ends at the front face 38 of the block.

A metallic plate E which is L-shaped in cross sectional configuration is associated with the block. This plate has one of its legs 39 abutting the front face 38 of the block and its other leg 40 paralleling and abutting the lower edge or bottom of the block and suitably secured thereto by a plurality of screws M or the like. The leg 39 of the plate is provided with a narrow elongated opening 32 which lies over the lower and outlet ends of the block channelways 37.

The block is provided. with a bore intended to receive a cylindrical cartridge type electric heater which may be brought optionally into use should it be necessary to utilize heat at this point to maintain the proper liquidity of the finishing material which is delvered to the vwhaped groove of the block by the outlet end 44 of the elbow 24.

The applicator is supported so that its upper edge or top is disposed in an inclination to the vertical, as clearly appears in Figs. 2, 3, t and 5 of the drawings, and the finishing material I 0 discharging from the elbow 2d flows into the upper end of the V-shaped slot and outwardly through the passageways 37 between the block teeth 38. This material passes through the opening 42 of the plate E and against the side of the strip l because, as will hereinafter more clearly appear, the plate E is held in contact with theface of the strip. The result is that a continuous flow of finishing material is applied to the strip as it passes across the face of the block plate E. The length of the opening 42 will be controlled by the width of the face of the strip. The width of the opening can be varied if it should, for any reason, be desirable to do so. Surplus finishing material not delivered outwardly through the plate opening 42 will run out of the open lower end of the V-shaped groove and becaught by the reservoir B and reused.

Under some conditions and when utilizing certain types of finishing material it has been found advantageous to change the shape of the passageway ea in the plate E to the shape appearing in Fig. 30 of the drawings wherein the plate is designated as W and the modified form of the opening therein at 45.

The applicator is what might well be termed an open one and it has been found to be a very desirable construction in that the operator of the machine can observe the flow of the finishing material and can quickly and easily clear the applicator should it become clogged up. In handling and finishing wood flooring strips there are always small splinters and chips that accumulate and these cause some difficulty as they tend to clog up the finish material applicator. This is particularly bad when a closed finishing material applicator is used. In the present device the operator can quickly and easily clear the applicator should it become clogged and can do this without interrupting the production of the machine. The operator needs only to insert a blade in the slots or passageways 3'4 should one or more of them become clogged due to the presence of foreign matter such as the referred to splinters or chips.

Support of the finish applicator It is essential to provide a support for the applicator which affords full and accurate adjustable positioning of the applicator in respect to the travelling flooring strip. To avoid tying up the machine for long periods of "inactivity it is also essential to provide means whereby the applicator can be quickly and readily removed and replaced. A construction to accomplish these results is provided and is specifically illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive and Figs. 15 to 17 inclusive.

Having reference first to Figs. 4 to 6 of the drawings, a rod or shaft 46 extends longitudinally of the machine and is supported at its ends, see Fig. 2, in brackets 41 and 48. A clamp F is pivotally mounted on the rod or shaft 46 and can swing about said shaft and be locked in adjusted positionin a manner which will hereinafter appear. A lower holder G comprises a tubular element 49 disposed in a vertical plane and rotatable about its vertical axis in the clamp and also vertically adjustable in the clamp. This holder at its upper end has an olf-set bracket 50 provided with an internally threaded vertical bore adapted to receive the threaded lower end of a screw 52. The clamp is provided with a horizontally disposed bore having therein the reciprocal elements 53 and 54. The element 54 is disposed between the tubular element 49 and the rod 46 while the element 53 lies at the opposite side of the tubular element 49. A set or clamp screw 55 is utilized to look the clamp F in its adjusted position to the rod 46 and to clamp the element 49 against either rotary or vertical movement.

The upper holder H is a bracket-like element having a horizontally disposed bottom 56 from which depends a pair of spaced vertically disposed rods 51 which are slidable in the longitudinal bores 58 of the part 49 of the lower clamp G.

The upper face of the base 56 of the upper holder is provided with a trackway 59 having dovetailed interconnection with the bottom of a tubular element 60. The last named element is provided with a longitudinal bore 6| closed at its open end by an element 62. Internally the bore is provided with a freely slidable nut 53 which threadedly receives the threaded end 64 of a long screw 55 which passes freely through the element 62 and is freely rotatable in the bracket like upwardly extending end 66 of the holder H. A coil spring 6? has one end in engagement with the inner end of the bore 6| while its other end is in abutment with slidable nut 63. The element 60 being freely longitudinally slidable upon its track 59 is urged away from the bracket end 66 of the holder by the tension of the coil spring 61 and the tension of this spring is adjustable through manual rotation of the screw 65.

The tubular element 69 is provided with a nose piece J which comprises, see Figs. 15 to 1'7, a stub shaft 68 which is rotatable in a bore 69 in the end of the tubular element 69. This stub shaft extends outwardly from a disc or plate like portion 13 having an outwardly extending arm H provided with a cross pin 12. The outer end of the arm 7! is curved to provide a rounded nose 13.

The nose piece J is freely rotatable in the bore 69. The rounded nose like end 13 of the nose piece engages the vertically extending groove or channelway 34, which has a rounded bottom as clearly appears in Fig. 15, and the cross pin 72 engages the horizontally extending groove or channelway 33 in the rear face of the block of the finishing material applicator.

From the description thus far given multiple adjustment is provided respecting the support of the applicator D. Vertical adjustment is first roughly obtained by adjusting the lower holder G in the clamp F. The plane in which the upper holder H lies is adjustabe by properly positioning the clamp F about the longitudinal axis of the haft or rod 46. Minute vertical adjustment of the upper holder H is obtained through manual manipulation of the screw 52. This screw has its upper end passing through a bracket F4 which is formed as a part of the upper holder. The screw 52 above and below the end 15 of this bracket is provided with fixed upper and lower washers l6 and TI. The degree of pressure with'which the applicator is caused r as indicated at and 9i.

to engage the face of the travelling flooring strip is determined by the tension of the coil spring 67 which is under manual control by adjustment of the screw 55. A rocking motion of the appli-- cator is permitted by reason of the nature of the contact of the nose piece J with the rear face of the applicator block. This rocking motion permitted the applicator and the applicator being held against the strip under resilient tension are important to allow for any deviation from a true plane of the face of the flooring strip engaged by the applicator. Such variations of the face of the flooring strip from a true plane are a common occurrence.

One further arrangement for positioning the applicator is provided. This comprises a bracket arm 18 the lower end 19 of which is welded to the end of the element 50 and has an opening loosely surrounding the stub shaft 68 of the nose piece J. There is a loose fit between the bracket and the nose piece. An arm has one end pivotally connected to the rear face of the ap-- plicator block adjacent one end thereof by a screw 8| and its other end is provided with an internally threaded bore for the reception of the threaded end of an elongated screw 82 which passes through the upper down-turned end 83 of the bracket arm '78. This screw is provided at opposite sides of the bracket end 83 with lock nuts 84 and 85. By manual manipulation of the screw 82 the elongated opening 42 of the applicator block can be properly positioned in relation to the upper and lower edges of the flooring strip. This positioning is accomplished because tightening or loosening of the screw 82 will cause rotation of the applicator block about its pivotal support which is of course the stub shaft 68 of the nose piece J.

With the construction provided the applicator can be very quickly removed for inspection or replacement. It is necessary only to exert pressure upon the nose piece J to push the tubular element 69 rearwardly against the tension of the coil spring 6?. The applicator block can then be disengaged from the arm H and cross pin 12 of the nose piece and swung upwardly and outwardly. Complete removal of the applicator, if removal rather than inspection is required, can be accomplished by releasing the screw 8|.

Adiustment of the finishing material outlet nozzle It is essential to provide for the proper delivery of the liquid finishing material to the applicator and as the position of the applicator is variable, as has been explained, it is necessary to provide for adjusting the position of the outlet or nozzle 24 so that the molten finishing material is delivered centrally of the groove of the applicator and at the upper end thereof.

The delivery of the molten finishing material from the reservoir by the pump 15 has been described. The pump is disposed within the molten finishing material itself so that it will be maintained at the same temperature as the material. Any discharge from the overflow l9 or through the automatic relief valve 3! is directed into the reservoir.

A pair of spaced parallel bars 86 and 81 extend longitudinally of the machine substantially immediately above the travelling flooring strip and are supported by suitable brackets 88 and 39. At their ends which are adjacent the feed end of the machine these bars extend 01f at an angle An arm 92 provided 9. with an elongated slot 93 rests upon the upper edges of the bars 99 and el and is held in adjustable position in respect thereto by a wing nut 94 carried by a bolt 95 which extends down between the bars and is provided at its lower end with a head 95 which abuts the lower edges of the bars. An elongated screw 91 is carried by and depends from the outer end of the arm 22 and is adjustable in the arm by rotation and is held in adjusted position by lock nuts 93 and 99. A supporting arm I is carried by the screw 9'! and this arm at its lower end is shaped to form a hook IOI which extends below the conduit section 23. As will be apparent by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings the conduit 23 is connected to the vertical pipe 2| by an elbow 22. As is conventional with piping there is threaded engagement between the conduit 2i and the elbow 22. In this instance this connection is not turned tight and therefore the horizontal conduit section 23 may be freely swung in a horizontal plane so as to position the outlet 24 as desired in respect to the applicator D. When the outlet 2!; is properly positioned the screw '5 is tightened as is also the thumb nut 95: for securing the arm 52 against movement.

Further adjustability of the outlet is obtained by rotating the outlet 24 in respect to the. conduit section 23. The outlet 24, see Fig. 3, is provided with a rearwardly extending arm I62 which extends over the conduit section 23 and this arm carries a set screw Hi3. It will be understood that there is threaded connection between the outlet 24 and the pipe or conduit section 23 and that this not tightened down so that it Flooring strip face scrapers The flooring strip face scrapers perform a very important function in enabling the present machine to discharge at a rapid rate and complete- 1y dry flooring having one coat oi, finish ineluding color and with the grain of the floor filled with the finish. To accomplish this under all conditions the scrapers must be yieldably held against the face of the moving strip and at the same time provision must be made for practicaily universal adjustment of the scrapers in respect to the strip. Adjustability of the scrapers is extremely important so that they may be set obtain various different angular relations to the face of the strip. One angular relationship between the scrapers and the face of the strip is for the purpose of forcing the coating material into the grain and obtaining surface polish while another angular relationship is utilized for cutting or scraping oii surplus finishing material. A battery of scrapers is utilized and some of these may be set at progressively acute angles to the of the strip while others may be set at progressively obtuse angles to the face of the strip.

As to the scrapers themselves these will vary. In some cases the scraper is a plain steel blade while in others a wooden blade. The invention isnot to be limited by the particular type i of s craper blade because unclessome;.conditions 1G blades composed of vulcanized fiber, or leather, or plastic, or a combination of these materials would operate satisfactorily.

The manner in which the scraping blades are supported has general similarity to the support utilized for the finishing material applicator. Specifically the support for the scraping blades is illustrated in Figs. 26 to 29 inclusive to which reference should be had in. reading the following description.

A plurality of scrapers is utilized between the finish applicator and the discharge end of the machine and as each scraper is similarly supported description of one scraper will sufiice to an understanding of the support for all of. the scrapers which are supported upon the aforementioned rod or shaft 66.

A lower support K is pivotally mounted upon the rod is and sliclably receives the depending shaft or stem [94 of the upper support L. The lower support is provided with a longitudinal bore in which are slidably mounted the elements I65 and Hit. The element is between the rod 46 and the adjacent side of the stem I64 while the element I06 lies at the opposite side of the stem. A. set screw I01 serves to clamp the lower support to the rod 46 and the stem I34 against either vertical or rotary movement.

The upper support comprises an elongated base 1&8 having at its outer end an up-turned bracket like portion 159. The upper face of the base is provided with a track I I8. A tubular carriage H! is positioned above the base and has sliding dovetailed interconnection with the base as indicated at H2 in Fig. 29. This tubular carriage is provided with a longitudinal bore H3 3 which the screw may be rotated to move the nut H5 longitudinally of the bore M3 to adjust the tension of a coil spring H8 which lies between the nut and the spring supporting abutment I 19 at the inner end of the bore.

From the construction thus far described it will be seen that multiple adjustment is pro-v vided for the upper support L. It may be raised and lowered by sliding its stem l M longitudinally in the lower support K and it can be rotated in a horizontal plane by rotating its stem in the lower support. The upper support may also be swung up and down by rotating the lower support about the rod 45. Additionally the carriage H! is under the action of the coil spring H8 normally urged away from the bracket like end we of the upper support and this movement is in the direction toward the face of the flooring strip '5 as clearly appears in Fig. 27 of the drawings and as will more clearly appear from the following further description of the mechanism.

The head end G28, see Fig. 26, of the carriage i 5 i is provided with an angularly extending bore in which is disposed a clamping jaw made up of the spaced jaw pieces 22! and i22 which receive between them the end 23 of the scraper blade $25. This arrangement permits the blade to be rotated in the bore with the result that the angular relationship of the blade to the face of the strip is variable at will. Alocking pin I25 l 1' is provided for clamping the jaws upon the scraping blade. This pin is secured in a locked or unlocked position by means of a wing nut I25, see Fig. 27, which is rotatable upon the threaded end I21 of the pin.

Under some conditions it has been found desirable to heat one or more of the scraper blades and to acomplishment of this an electric heater M is provided. This comprises a cylindrical element I28 having therein a bore I29 for the reception of a suitable resistance-type electric heater. This element is provided with a slot so that it can be slid onto the scraper as is indicated in dotted lines at I30 in Fig. 26.

From the foregoing it will be seen that an operator can obtain what constitutes practically universal adjustment of the scraper blade in respect to the surface of the travelling flooring strip and that the scraper is urged against the flooring strip under spring tension thus holding the scraper yieldably against the face of the strip to assure that the scraper will contact the face of the strip even though the flooring should deviate to some extent from a true path in its travel through the machine.

It will be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings that the reservoir will catch and reuse all of the finishing material removed from the strip by the several scrapers.

Flooring strip edge scrapers In the operation of the machine it is impossible to prevent some coating material from getting on the upper and lower edges of the flooring and it is therefore necessary to provide for the removal of this material from these portions of the strip. It has been mentioned that the machine is not limited to use with flooring having any particular cross sectional configuration although the machine is illustrated as operating upon what is known in the trade as self-levelling flooring which in contour is somewhat similar to tongue and groove flooring. When flooring of this character is run through the machine the scraping edges of the scrapers must be shaped to cooperate properly with the shapes of the upper and lower edges of the strip and accordingly the upper scraper blade I3I and the lower scrapor blade I32, see Fig. 19, have their scraping edges shaped for proper cooperative engagement with the respective edges of the flooring strip.

Having reference now to Figs. 18 to 21 of the drawings, and describing the upper scraper blade and its manner of support it will be seen that the blade extends outwardly from a carrier N. This carrier is a hollow tubular element and is provided in one end with a reciprocable clamping jaw I33 in which is secured the end I34 of the scraper blade i3I. Reciprocal movement of the clamp is limited by the clamp carried pin I35 which is movable in the elongated carrier slot I35. The scraping edge I37 of the scraper blade is held in yieldable engagement with the upper edge of the flooring strip I by the tension of a coil spring 38 disposed within the carrier between the inner end of the clamp and the inner end of a tension setting screw I39 which is threadedly mounted in the end of the carrier.

Adjustability of the positioning of the scraper blade by adjustingthe disposition of its carrier is provided for. The carrier is primarily supported by a bracket I45 which is adjustably secured to the hereinbefor-e referred to bars 85 and 31 by a clamping nut and bolt designated as an entirety by I4I. The bracket is provided with a looped 12 end I42 which loosely encircles the scraper carrier N. The carrier is longitudinally slidable in the loop of the bracket and is locked in the proper and desired position by means of a set screw I43.

The construction described permits the operator to properly position the carrier so that the scraper blade will properly engage the edge of the travelling flooring strip. The degree of pressure of engagement between the scraper and strip is controllable by proper setting of the coil spring tensioning screw I39. It is necessary to cut away the upper guide strip 8 as at I44 to permit the passage of the scraper blade for engagement with the upper edge of the flooring strip 1.

Ordinarily it is desirable to utilize more than one top edge scraper and in the drawings two scrapers are illustrated. In setting up the machine the operator loosens the screw I43 and withdraws the carrier N. He then inserts a scraping blade in the clamping jaw I33 and replacesv the carrier in the loop of the bracket and pushes down upon it until he has obtained an engagement between the blade and the edge of the flooring strip having the desired tension. The operator thereupon locks the parts in this position by tightening down upon the humb screw I43.

It is also desirable to provide more than one scraper for the lower edge of the flooringstrip and two scrapers are illustrated. Both are of the same construction and description of one will serve to describe them both.

The scraper blade I32 is removably mounted in the part I45 of the carrier P. This carrier embodies a second part I46. A shim I41 is disposed between the abutting faces of the parts I45 and I46, which parts are then clamped together by the clamping screws I 48 and I49. The parts making up the carrier are provided with a bore I50, see Fig. 24, which loosely surrounds the shaft or rod 46 with the result that the carrier is freely rotatable upon the rod. A stop pin in the form of a screw I5I is threaded into the rod 45 and extends outwardly from one side thereof and through a longitudinal bore I52 in the carrier part I46 and outwardly through a slot I53 in the top of said part. A coil spring I54 is disposed in the bore and has one end in engagement with the pin while its other end abuts the inner end of a screw I55 which is rotatable in and closes the outer end of the bore.

The carrier part I45 in its end adjacent the moving flooring strip is provided with a T-shaped slot I56 which slidably receives the scraping blade I32 so that the blade may be moved toward and away from the lower edge of the travelling strip. The blade is locked in its adjusted position by a set screw I51. The lower strip guide 9 is cut away as at I58 to permit the passage of the scraping blade so that its scraping edge I59 can engage the lower edge of the strip in the manner illustrated in Fig. 19 of the drawings.

In setting up the scraping blade I32 the operator swings the carrier P forward to the limit of its movement and this movement is limited by engagement of the stop pin I5I with the rear end of the slot I53. The scraping blade is then positioned in the slot and locked therein by the set screw I51. The carrier is then released by the operator and the spring tension exerted on the stop pin I5I will tilt or rotate the carrier in the reverse direction and bring the scraping edge of the blade I32 into engagement with the lower edge of the flooring strip.

Obviously the tension under which the upper and lower scraping blades'engage the edges of the flooring strip is adjustable by rotation of the spring tensionin screws I39 and IE5.

As is the case in respect to the scrapers which operate on the face of the flooring strip the finishing material scraped from the upper and lower edges of the strip drops into the reservoir and is reused.

Cleaning brushes When a floor is laid with flooring strips operated upon by the present machine the edges of the strips are in engagement and it is therefore very important that the edges of the strips be free of any surplus finishing material. Accordingly in addition to scraping the edges of the strips they are also cleaned by brushes. Accordingly at the discharge end of the machine there is an upper power driven brush Q and a lower power driven brush B. These brushes are rotated about a horizontal axis and the bristles of the brushes engage and thoroughly clean the upper and lower edges respectively of the strip before its final discharge from the machine.

These brushes appear in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings and are suitably driven from the electric motor I60 as clearly appears at the left-hand end of Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Operation The operation of the machine has in reality been set forth in the foregoing description or should be understood therefrom.

The flooring strips are fed on edge to the machine and are rapidly carried therethrough by the feeding mechanism. Molten finishing maplus finishing material is scraped from the strip a and drops into the reservoir and is reused.

The electric motor i6!) is in operation so that the cleaning brushes are rotated and operate to thoroughly clean the upper and lower edges of the strip before its final discharge from the machine. The strip face scrapers not only scrape the surplus finishing material from the strip but also force it into the grain of the wood and burnish the finish to an extent suificient to cause the Wax content of the finish to be sufiiciently rubbed so that the face of the strip has the appearance of a waxed and polished piece of wood.

In operation the machine discharges flooring strips at a rapid rate which are completely dry and are completely finished on one face and ready for use as pre-finished flooring boards.

finishing material is concerned because the hot finishing material is spread very thinly on the I face of the stripsand forced by the scrapers into the interstices of the Wood. Due to the finishing material being very thinly applied there is a very rapid release of the heat thereof and the material returns to its normal solid, that is nonliquid, condition almost instantaneously and is dry when the strips are discharged from themachine.

What I claim is:

1. For use in a machine of the character described having means for guiding and propelling a flooring strip on edge in its passage therethrough, a finishing material applicator, said applicator comprising a block adapted to extend across a face of the strip and having an upper side edge disposed at an inclination to the vertical, a troughway in and extending along the upper side edge of the block and adapted to receive adjacent its upper end liquid finishing material, an elongated outlet passageway in that face of the block intended for engagement with the strip face, and the block being provided with a plurality of individual passageways each having an upper end communicating with said trough and an opposite lower end communicating with said elongated outlet passageway, and the upper ends of the block passageways communicating with the trough at spaced apart points along the length of the trough.

2. A machine for finishing flooring comprising, a guideway for supporting and guiding a strip ,of flooring on edge, means for moving a strip continuously in said guideway, an applicator for applying finishing material to a face of the strip in its passage through said guideway, means for delivering liquid finishing material to the applicator, the applicator being provided with an elongated outlet passageway for delivering the finishing material to the face of the flooring strip, a carriage support at and beyond the side of the strip to which finishing material is being applied, a carriage mounted on said support and being freely movable thereon toward and away from the strip, said finishing material applicator being supported upon and movable with said carriage, and means resiliently urging said carriage towards the aforementioned face of the strip and acting to resiliently hold the outlet passageway of the applicator in engagement with the aforementioned face of the strip.

3. A construction as defined in claim 2 wherein, the support of the applicator upon the carriage is in the form of a substantially horizontally disposed pivot which permits the applicator to be oscillated to provide for selective positioning of the length of the applicator outlet passageway in respect to the width of the strip face.

4. A construction as defined in claim 2 wherein, means is provided for vertically adjustably supporting the carriage support, the carriage support being rotatable in said means about a vertical axis, and said means being tiltable in respect to a horizontally disposed axis.

5. In a machine of the character described. a horizontally disposed pivot, a supporting clamp rotatably adjustable about said pivot, a carriage support, said support being vertically adjustable in said clamp and also rotatable in the clamp about a vertical pivot, a carriage on said support and mounted for free horizontal reciprocataion in respect thereto, said carriage being provided with a head rotatable about .a hori- ;-tzontally disposed axis, a finishing .rnaterial applicator adapted to engagea face of a travelling;

flooring strip, resilient means serving to move said carriage to hold the head thereof in engagement with said applicator and the applicator in engagement with said strip, and a rocking engagement means between said carriage head and said applicator providing a construction permitting the applicator to rock freely on said head.

6. A machine for finishing flooring comprising, a guideway for supporting and guiding a strip of flooring on edge, means for moving a strip continuously in said guideway, an applicator for applying finishing material to a face of the strip in its passage through said guideway, a support for said guideway, an arrangement constituting a support providing universal adjustment of the applicator in respect to the strip face, said arrangement embodying: means providing vertical adjustment of the support means supporting the applicator from said support to rock in respect to the strip face, said support embodying means supporting the applicator for movement toward and away from the face of the strip, resilient means urging the applicator against the face of the strip under resilient tension, scrapers adapted to remove from the face of the strip surplus finishing material applied thereto by the applicator, an individual support means for each of said scrapers, each of said supporting means providing universal adjustment of the scraper in respect to the face of the strip, said scrapers being movable toward and away from the face of the strip, and means holding said scrapers in engagement with the strip under resilient tension.

7. A machine for finishing flooring comprising, a guideway for supporting and guiding a strip of flooring on edge, means for moving a strip continuously in said guideway, an applicator for applying finishing material to a face of the strip in its passage through said guideway, scrapers engaging a side face of the strip and acting to remove therefrom surplus finishing material applied to the strip face by the applicator, scrapers engaging the upper and lower edges of said strip and acting to remove therefrom all surplus finishing material which may have been deposited thereon during the travel of the strip through the machine carriers for the scrapers for the upper strip edge, said carrier being freely movable toward and away from the strip, resilient means urging said carriers toward the strip, carriers for the scrapers for the lower edge of the strip, said carriers being freely rotatable about a horizontal axis, resilient means acting to rotate said carriers to place the scrapers in engagement with the lower strip edge, carriers for the scrapers for the face of the strip, said carriers being freely movable toward and away from the strips, and resilient means urging said carriers toward the strip.

8. A machine for finishing flooring comprising, a guideway for supporting and guiding a strip of flooring on edge, means for moving a strip continuously in said guideway, an applicator for applying finishing material to a face of the strip in its passage through said guideway, a support for said applicator, said support embodying means providing universal selective adjustment of the applicator in respect to the strip face, a resservoir having finishing material therein, a conduit extending from the reservoir to an outlet positioned for delivery of finishing material to a predetermined part of said applicator, a pump for delivering finishing -materia1 through said conduit, said conduit outlet being adjustably swingable in a horizontal plane, and said conduit outlet being adjustably rotatable about a horizontally disposed axis.

9. A machine for finishing flooring comprising, a guideway for supporting and guiding a strip of flooring on edge, means for moving a strip continuously in said guideway, an applicator for applying finishing material to a face of the strip in its passage through said guideway, means for delivering finishing material to the applicator, means supporting the applicator and acting to hold the same in engagement with the face of the strip under resilient tension, said supporting means including a head provided with a rounded nose, a pin extending through said nose at right angles thereto, the applicator being provided with a cut-out portion having a rounded bottom adapted to be engaged by the nose of the head, and said applicator further being provided with a groove extending transverse the cut-out portion for the reception of the pin, said construction permitting the applicator to rock on the head while remaining in contact with the face of the strip.

10. For use in a machine of the character described having means for guiding and propelling a flooring strip on edge in its passage therethrough, a finishing material applicator comprising a block provided in one of its edges with an open troughway adapted to be disposed at an inclination to the horizontal and provided with an open lower end, a plurality of spaced apart passage-ways communicating with said troughway through one wall thereof, said passage-ways extending outwardly through a side wall of the block and having open outer sides, the upper ends of said passage-ways being open to provide a structure permitting a tool to be inserted therethrough to clean the passage-ways, a plate disposed over the open outer sides of the passageways, said plate being provided with an elongated opening communicating with the open sides of the passage-ways.

11. In a machine for finishing flooring, a guideway for supporting and guiding a strip of flooring on edge, means for moving a strip continuously through said guideway, an applicator for applying finishing materia1 to a side face of the strip in its passage through the guideway, a carrier for the applicator, means supporting the carrier for swinging movement about a horizontal pivot and for vertical adjustment, the carrier being freely moveable toward and away from the strip, a head on the carrier and being rotatable in respect thereto about a horizontal axis, a rocking connection between the applicator and the head, and means resiliently urging the carrier toward the strip and acting to hold the applicator in engagement with the strip under resilient tension.

12. A construction as defined in claim 11 wherein, means is provided for rotating the carrier head about its horizontal axis, and means for securing the head in its adjusted position.

13. A construction as defined in claim 11 wherein, scrapers are provided for engaging the vertical coated face of the strip, a carrier for each of said scrapers, means supporting each carrier for swinging movement about a horizontal pivot and for vertical adjustment, each carrier being freely moveable toward and away from the strip, and means resiliently urging each carrier toward the strip to place its scraper in engagement with the strip under resilient tension:

4 14. Ina machine of the character descrlbed,--aii applicator for applying finishing material to a side face of a flooring strip comprising, a block having an upper side edge adapted to be disposed at an inclination to the vertical and one of its side faces in engagement with the side face of the flooring strip, a groove xtending longitudinally of said edge of the block, a plurality of independent passageways extending through one wall of said groove in spaced relationship along the length thereof, said passageways being in a side wall of the block and having open sides at the face of the block, a plate secured to the face of the block and closing the open sides of said passageways, the lower ends of said passageways being closed, and the plate being provided with an elongated opening extending transverse the passageways at a point above the closed ends thereof to provide an outlet for finishing material which is delivered to the upper end of the groove and runs through the passageways thereof downwardly into the passageways.

15. The combination with a machine of the character described having means for guiding and propelling a strip on edge in its passage therethrough, of a finishing material applicator, said applicator comprising a rigid block having a side face adapted for engagement with a face of the travelling strip and provided in its strip engaging face with an outlet passageway for the finishing material, the outlet passageway of the block being elongated, means supporting said block for movement in respect to the strip to permit the elongated outlet passageway to be disposed at selected inclinations to the side edges of the flooring strip, finishing material passageways in the block communicating with said outlet passageway, means for supplying finishing material to said passageways, means supporting said applicator, and means resiliently urging said applicator into engagement with the strip face.

16. The combination with a machine of the character described having means for guiding and propelling a strip on. edge in its passage therethrough, of a finishing material applicator, said applicator comprising a rigid block having a side face adapted for engagement with a face of the travelling strip and provided in its strip engaging face with an outlet passageway for the finishing material, means supporting said applicator, means resiliently urging said applicator into engagement with the strip face, and means for selectively adjusting the tension under which the resilient means urges the applicator into engagement with the strip face.

17. A machine for finishing flooring comprising, a guideway for supporting and guiding a strip of flooring on edge, means for moving a strip continuously in said guideway, an applicator for applying finishing material to a face of the strip in its passage through said guideway, means for delivering finishing material to the applicator, a supporting means for the applicator including means acting to hold the applicator in engageviding a rocking engagement between said supporting means and the applicator and providing a construction which permits the applicator to rock freely on its supporting means.

18. A machine for finishing flooring comprising, a guideway for supporting and guiding a strip of fiooring on edge, means for moving a strip continuously in said guideway, an applicator for applying finishing material to a face of the strip ment with the face of the strip, and means proin its passage through said guideway, a support for said applicator, said support embodying means providing adjustability of the applicator in respect to the strip face, a reservoir having finishing material therein, a conduit extending from the reservoir to an outlet positioned for delivery of finishing material to a predetermined part of said applicator, a pump for delivering finishing material through said conduit, said conduit outlet being adjustably swingable in a horizontal plane, and said conduit outlet being adjustably rotatable about a horizontally disposed axis.

19. A construction as defined in claim 2 wherein, means provides a rocking engagement between the carriage and the applicator to permit the applicator to rock freely on the carriage.

20. For use in a machine of the character decribed having means for guiding and propelling a flooring strip on edge in its passage therethrough, a finishing material applicator, said applicator comprising a block adapted to extend across a face of the strip and having an upper side edge disposed at an inclination to the vertical, a troughway in and extending along the upper side edge of the block and adapted to receive adjacent its upper end liquid finishing material, an elongated outlet passageway at that face of the block intended for engagement with the strip face, and the block being provided with a passageway having an open upper end communicating with the trough and an opposite lower end communicating with said elongated outlet passageway.

21. The combination with a machine of the character described having means for guiding and propelling a strip on edge in its passage therethrough, of a finishing material applicator, said applicator comprising a rigid block having a side face adapted for engagement with a face of the travelling strip and provided in its strip engaging face with an outlet passageway for the finishing material, said outlet passageway being elongated to stop short of the sides of the block, means supporting said applicator block for movement toward and away from the strip, and means resiliently urging said applicator block into engagement with the strip face.

IRVIN F. DITTMAR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Number Name Date 717,970 Carlson Jan. 6, 1903 1,107,623 Leatherbee Aug. 8, 1914 1,165,677 King Dec. 28, 1915 1,339,106 Dittmar May 4, 1920 1,339,107 Dittmar May 4, 1920 1,401,237 Casgrain Dec. 27, 1921 1,497,673 Dittmar June 17, 1924 1,510,465 Dittmar Oct. 7, 1924 1,538,637 Jessen et a1. May 19, 1925 1,540,110 Dittmar June 2, 1925 1,638,500 Millholland Aug. 9, 1927 1,809,581 Chvojka June 9, 1931 1,940,745 Dittmar Dec. 26, 1933 2,100,342 MacKenzie Nov. 30, 1937 2,263,569 Campbell Nov. 25, 1941 2,354,777 Schwartz Aug. 1, 1944 2,464,771 Van Guelpen Mar. 15, 1949 

